Is hagwon a necessity for students attending public schools to go to a good college in Korea?
Preface
As a Korean going to an international school, I don't feel the pressure of hagwons as much as the students attending public schools do. I hear of rumors that students go to three hagwons a day, that they don't come back home until 12 o'clock midnight, that they are so busy going to hagwons they barely have time to eat. These might just be rumors to stimulate other students to keep studying hard. However, this might turn out to be a non-fiction. I text my friends from elementary school and become depressed only to find that every time I text message them, they are to be found at hagwons. My sister, who also attends a public school, is also frustrated by the amount of homework given by her hagwon teachers.
Contacting these frustrated students very often, I came across a question: why are they going to hagwons? Well, some are forced to go, but the final goal of going to hagwons is to go to a good college. However, this was very confusing to me, because on the television I have seen famous students that didn't go to any hagwons, but still managed to go to a good college: here, good college meaning 'SKY' (Seoul University, Koryu University, Yeonse University). The two conflicting situation made me think if hagwons are really necessary to go to a good college.
Students going to an international school might not realize the severity of the 'hagwon culture' that every student attending public schools go through. So first, I wanted to engage the audience (classmates) into the 'hagwon culture' through my preface, and go in dept on my question: is hagwon necessary for students attending public schools to go to a good college in Korea?
Introduction to Genre 1
: Research Paper
This research paper is about situations of different people and different examples of the effect of hagwons. The examples demonstrate diversity by showing a student who succeeded to go to a good college by not going to hagwons a student who didn't succeed to go to a good college even though he went to multiple hagwons and had multiple tutoring. It is real incident based paper, but these events did not happen around me. The examples below are mainly from other Korean articles that I put together to answer my question. The first genre best describes the situation of the stress students are going through and engages the reader into the 'hagwon culture.' The research paper answers the main question by presenting real-life examples, and what are to be learned from them.
Is hagwon a ‘must’ for students attending public schools to go to a good college in Korea?
The student in the picture just got out of his hagwon. Behind him, we can see many hagwons competing against each other.
“Study while others are sleeping, and study while others are studying.” This is a phrase that almost every Korean students have written on their desks. It acts as an inspiration for them to keep studying ([Student Corner] Solution Needed for Student Suicide). This might seem like a self-motivated phrase, but their obsession for studying comes from the pressure from their environment. Their minds are only fixed at getting high scores and going to a good university ('SKY'). To achieve these goals, students choose to go (or are forced to go) to hagwons to get a more specific and advanced education. However, hagwon does not always succeed in allowing students to get higher scores.
There are cases where hagwons helped the students get higher scores. However, this often brings other side-effects like: stress, sleep deprivation, and rebellious thoughts. There are very rare cases where the student is willing to study on his or her own and goes to a good college. For the students who don’t have the natural ability to study on their own get help from hagwons to ‘nurture’ their studying ability. Even the first graders, who seem very far away from college go to hagwons to prepare to go to a good college. The case with the fifth grader is an example of sending students to too many hagwons. She would go straight to her hagwon after school and come back home at ten in the night ([Child Confess] Hagwon, tutor stress). She goes to six hagwons and still is being pressured by her mom to go to more hagwons, because there is a classmate who goes to eight hagwons ([Child Confess] Hagwon, tutor stress). Even on Sundays, she doesn’t have time to play, since two tutors are coming ([Child Confess] Hagwon, tutor stress). In fact, the tutoring helped her to improve in English and Korean ([Child Confess] Hagwon, tutor stress). However, her life would seem miserable since she lost the privilege to play outside from such an early age. So is it always true that hagwon+misery= good college? Not necessarily.
There are students who didn’t go to hagwons and still succeeded in going to good colleges. An example can be Na Young Kim who went to Seoul University by getting a scholarship. Na Young came out on a quiz show called Golden Bell. The purpose of the program is to eliminate students with incorrect answers until one student is left, and reward a scholarship to the last one left. Na Young Kim was the last one to remain and got a scholarship to go to Seoul University. In her interview, she said how poor her family was, so she couldn't go to hagwons. She always envied her classmates who went to hagwons, but since her family was very poor, she had to study by herself. She studied on her own and went to Seoul University, one of the top three universities in Seoul, debunking the idea that hagwon is a ‘must’ to go to a good college.
Mom: The kid next door... He goes to eight hagwons~
The case of Na Young might not come to your skin, but there are students that we see everyday; KIS's neighbor, Yongsan foreign language high school students. They are students that we see everyday, and you might be surprised to find out that they do not rely on hagwons as much as students attending public schools do. However, the tudents attending foreign language high schools have relied highly on hagwons. They passed the entrance test to the ‘special’ high school by attending numerous hagwons. Koreans believe that to go to a foreign language high school, an intense concentration on English is needed; it is true that it will be challenging to go to a foreign language high school just by attending English class in Korean public schools. So, students attend English hagwons to go to foreign language high schools. However, after attending foreign high schools, students rely less on hagwons day by day; the foreign high schools provide higher education than hagwons, eliminating the need of hagwons. Even though students attending foreign high schools don't rely on hagwons, they go to one of the top universities in Korea. A foreign high school, HAFS (Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies), sent 44 students to Seoul University, 74 to Koryu University, and 72 to Yeonse University (HAFS). It shows a better statistics of university matriculation compared to public high schools, even though the students do not go to hagwons, debunking the idea that going to many hagwons leads to going to a good college as well.
Another example why hagwons are not helpful is in the cases that students fail to go to a good college even though much money is spent on their private education. For example, a family living in Kangbook moved to Bundang to give their child a better private education (Private Education Increased). The parents of the student sent their child to multiple hagwons, and provided their son expensive tutors (Private Education Increased). However, the result was disappointing. Their son didn’t even go to a university in Seoul, but a university in the rural area (Private Education Increased). This case proves that hagwon does not contribute that much in going to a good college, but bring a bad effect on the child by giving him too much stress.
So is a hagwon a ‘must’ attend a good college? Not necessarily. It varies on the type of the individual: some might get help from going to hagwons, but some might not. Thus, it is a bad idea to force students that doesn’t get any help from hagwons to force them to go to hagwons, because it is becoming a trend in Korean society. Parents send their children in hope for them to go to a good college and succeed. However, giving their children too much stress can lead to suicide or retaliation. Parents should think about what their child wants to become, and communicate with them rather than sending them to hagwons to follow the trend. Now is the time for Korea to improve the public education systems to eliminate the need of private education.
"[Student Corner] Solution Needed for Student Suicide." The Korea Times. 3 Sep. 2009 <www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2009/08/181_30122.html>.
Introduction to Genre 2
: Play
Genre two is written in play format, so it is easier for the readers to follow what the whole idea of my project is. Also the play is written in a dialogue form, so it is less formal than the first genre. The second genre can revive the readers worn out from the stiff, first genre. Every scene in the play serves an important role in answering my question. Scene one is an introduction to the life of an ordinary student. This scene makes the readers stand in the shoes of the student, further engaging the reader to my topic. Scene two is about the dream the student has. In this scene, the readers can understand the stress and pressure given to the student. Scene three is about how the student succeeds in going to a good university without going to hagwons. The third scene is the direct result of my answer to the main question.
Brave New Betty
Act1 Characters
Student
Student’s mom
Act 1 Scene 1
Setting: Student wearing a school uniform goes to hagwons after her school is over.
Student: I’m just out of school, and I can’t even play with my friends. (Hands up high and shouting) Why is my life so miserable! I don’t want to go to hagwons like this! It’s too much for me to bare.....
The student enters the door of her hagwon, looking depressed (repeat it 5 times, becoming more and more tired as she comes out of the hagwon). Student returns home.
Student: (very tired voice, takes off shoes) Mom, I’m home.
Mom: (Holding up an apple that she’s paring) Do you want some apple dear?
Student: No thanks, I want to sleep.
Mom: (slightly annoyed tone) How can you think about sleeping this early? It’s only 12:00 A.M.! Go to your room and finish your hagwon homework!
Student: Arggg but I just returned from my math hagwon!
Mom: (sarcastically) Then are you not going to do your homework, when I’m paying so much for your hagwons?
Student: Fine (sigh). I’ll go do my homework....
Act 1 Scene 2
The student leaves the scene and goes to her room. She does her homework until 3:00 A.M.
Student: (yawning) I finally finished my homework! (setting alarm clock to 6:00 A.M.) I should sleep now.
Act 1 Scene 3
It is 8:00 A.M. and the student is in her school. However, she is not paying attention and is sleeping.
Student: (In a drowsy voice) I’m so tired.
Teacher: Okay class, today is the day you’ve all been waiting for. You get your grades back for the finals!
At the sound of the teacher, the student jerks her head up and the teacher passes out the grades.
Student: (Depressed and annoyed voice) Oh my god! How can I get such a low grade! Ahhh, I failed this final. What am I going to say to my mom.
Act 1 Scene 4
After school, the student walks home and opens the door to her house
Mom: (anxious and hyper voice) Honey~ I heard your grades came out today~
Student; (voice trembling) Umm.... Mom, don't be depressed, but I did a little bad on my finals.
Mom: (angry) What?! Show me the transcript right now! (Taking the transcript from student's hand, trembles her hand) How can you get such a low grade! How can you be second place in the whole grade? You should be the first after all the hagwons I'm sending you! Who is this student that came in first place? I shall talk to your home room teacher right now! This cannot be!
Student:(drops her head down) I'm sorry mom, I'll improve my grade next semester. Don't be so angry.
Mom; How can I be calm? I should send you to more hagwons. I think you need to focus more on math
Student: But I'm already going to 3 math hagwons!
Mom: So did your grades improve? No! You should get an intesive course on math. You said you were learning algebra, right?
Student; Yes....
Mom: Then you should learn calculus to be better than the other students! I'll call the hagwon right now and apply you to a math intensive course.
Student: (sighs)
Student and Mom exits
Act 1 Scene 5
Student is leaving her house and walking on the side walk, complaining.
Student: Ah, why do I have to go to so many hagwons! I can never fulfill my mom’s requirement. She’s expecting too much from me! I’m so stressed out and sleep deprived. My mom should admit that I’m getting bad grades because I’m sleeping in school because of hagwons! (Sighs) I’d better go to my new hagwon before I’m late.
Student exits.
Act 2 characters
Student
Scientist
Director
Teacher
Act 2
Act2 Scene 1
The student is sleeping in her class at school. The following is her dream. The student is lying down in her dream and awakens by the sound of machines.
Student: (Wakes up from the ground, surprised and drowzy voice) Ow, my head hurts. Anyways, where is this place? (Looking around) It’s full of machines and scientists. I should ask one of them where I am. (Approaching a scientist) Excuse me sir, but where is this place?
Scientist: (cold and annoyed voice) Please do not disrupt me. I have to continue my experiment
Student: Oh, sorry. (Looking around) I guess people aren’t so nice here. Anyways, what experiment is he talking about?
Director: (approaching student from behind) Who are you? I’ve never seen you before!
Student: Hi, I think I should go home, but I don’t know where I am. Where is this place?
Director: Home? What are you talking about? You must be the one that escaped from hagwon! I shall take you to your class. What is your serial number? (Looks at a tag on the student) So you are an alpha! I’ll take you to your class.
Student: (confused look) I realize this was on my chest!
Director drags the student out of the room
Act 2 scene 2
Director drags the student into a white room with rows of desks, which students are sitting on. Beside their desks, there are huge stacks of paper.
Director: I found a student lost in the hallway. (annoyed voice) Do take care of her.
Teacher: (angry voice) Where have you been?! Return to your seat
Student:(confused look) But... I...
Teacher: No buts! Sit down and solve the problems given to you!
Student: What the ... (looks at the problem on her desk) What is this? I can’t even understand what this is saying! (looks around the room) Everyone is solving the problems so fast!
Teacher: (holding a stop watch) Stop! (everyone puts their pencils down at the same time) Twenty-seconds have already passed. You guys should have had plenty of time to work on the hundred pages of math problems. Now I’ll give you twenty-seconds to solve your English problems.
Student: (holding up her hand) But I don’t even know what this problem is asking.
Teacher: (gasping and looking shocked) You should be sent to more intensives! (the teacher’s face suddenly turns into the mom’s face) Hahahaha you should go to more hagwons! I’ll get you more tutors. More homework! More studying!
Act 3 scene 1
The student wakes up from her dream
Student: (pops up from her chair) No!
Teacher: (angry tone) Did you just sleep in my class?
Everyone: Good afternoon Betty! (laughs)
Student: Sorry Mr. English. I am tired from my hagwon last night. I slept very late.
Teacher: Just sit down.
Act 3 scene 2
The student is walking down the road to her hagwon
Student: I can’t waste my life like this! I have things I want to do too! (turns around) I should confront my mom today!
Act 3 scene 3
The student opens the door to her house
Student: Mom, I have to talk to you.
Mom: Betty! Shouldn’t you be at your hagwon? Why did you come so early?
Student: Mom, I decided not to go to hagwons. My grades are fine, and I can prove to you that hagwons are not the only thing that decides what college I am going to.
Mom: Do you want to ruin your life? What are you talking about?
Student: I don’t want to waste my life just going to hagwons! It was all about hagwons my entire life! I always sleep at 3 A.M. and so sleepy that I always sleep in school. I don’t listen to what the school teacher is saying so I don’t get good grades. It’s not that I don’t go to many hagwons that I don’t get a good grade. Please mom, trust me for once!
Mom: I’m tired now. I don’t want to argue with you. It’s not my life so do whatever you want!
Mom stomps out of the stage and the student is left alone, looking depressed
Act 3 Scene 4
Four years later, Betty is accepted to Seoul University
Student: (holding up the letter from Seoul University) Mom, mom! I got into Seoul University!
Mom: (gasps and cries a little) I’m so proud of you! It was a good choice I didn’t send you to any hagwons from that day on.
Student: (holds her mom’s hand) Thanks mom, for trusting me. I told you I’ll show you how I can go to a good college without hagwons!
THE END
Introduction to Genre 3
: Newspaper
Genre number three is a news paper. The name of the newspaper is Senior Weekly, mostly focused on the Juniors and Seniors. A newspaper might appear as a boring genre, but this is a student-run newspaper, which makes it easier to read. Similar to the phoenix plume, it includes advertisements and school events to make it a more interesting paper. There is a section where a survey is conducted. The survey is a conjecture on what the results might be, but the comments made on the results of the survey is from my friends from elementary school, using an alias. Genre three answers the main question by providing a simulated survey based on the comments of students going to public schools. The whole paper shows a negative view towards going to hagwons, by the repeating emphasis on the side-effects of hagwons.
Since my topic was mainly focused on students going to public schools, it wasn't easy finding people to interview. However, my topic was very valuable since it made me look back on my academic courier and how blessed I am to go to an international school. I already had some background knowledge of the 'hagwon culture' through news reports and my elementary school friends. This helped me in laying the basic ideas for the project, but it hindered me into seeing the benefits of hagwons. Even if I had background knowledge, I learned a lot more from this project: the rumors that I have been hearing was real and the report on increasing private education fees was not so far away. After learning the harsh studying conditions that most students in public schools were in, I changed my perspective towards them and hagwons. Before researching about the side-effects of hagwons, i just thought hagwons were bad and didn't have a specific reason. Now that I explored the side-effects of hagwons thoroughly, I know the reason why parents are sending their children to hagwons and why hagwons are not necessary to go to a good college.
From my project, I wish others will learn the harsh nature of hagwons. However, I do not wish this project to become a trauma, so that hagwons are only portrayed as evil to the readers. Hagwons do have benefits, but I saw more drawback than the benefits. I was also a little bit worried because my classmates might gain a sterotype on public schools and think international schools are superior to Korean public schools. I didn't want anybody to think that way, since both sides have pros and cons of their own, which led me to limit my topic to hagwons. I hope that everyone gains a better knowledge of the 'hagwon culture' after reading over my project.
The Kid Next Door Goes to Eight Hagwons!
Is hagwon a necessity for students attending public schools to go to a good college in Korea?
Preface
As a Korean going to an international school, I don't feel the pressure of hagwons as much as the students attending public schools do. I hear of rumors that students go to three hagwons a day, that they don't come back home until 12 o'clock midnight, that they are so busy going to hagwons they barely have time to eat. These might just be rumors to stimulate other students to keep studying hard. However, this might turn out to be a non-fiction. I text my friends from elementary school and become depressed only to find that every time I text message them, they are to be found at hagwons. My sister, who also attends a public school, is also frustrated by the amount of homework given by her hagwon teachers.Contacting these frustrated students very often, I came across a question: why are they going to hagwons? Well, some are forced to go, but the final goal of going to hagwons is to go to a good college. However, this was very confusing to me, because on the television I have seen famous students that didn't go to any hagwons, but still managed to go to a good college: here, good college meaning 'SKY' (Seoul University, Koryu University, Yeonse University). The two conflicting situation made me think if hagwons are really necessary to go to a good college.
Students going to an international school might not realize the severity of the 'hagwon culture' that every student attending public schools go through. So first, I wanted to engage the audience (classmates) into the 'hagwon culture' through my preface, and go in dept on my question: is hagwon necessary for students attending public schools to go to a good college in Korea?
Introduction to Genre 1
: Research PaperThis research paper is about situations of different people and different examples of the effect of hagwons. The examples demonstrate diversity by showing a student who succeeded to go to a good college by not going to hagwons a student who didn't succeed to go to a good college even though he went to multiple hagwons and had multiple tutoring. It is real incident based paper, but these events did not happen around me. The examples below are mainly from other Korean articles that I put together to answer my question. The first genre best describes the situation of the stress students are going through and engages the reader into the 'hagwon culture.' The research paper answers the main question by presenting real-life examples, and what are to be learned from them.
Is hagwon a ‘must’ for students attending public schools to go to a good college in Korea?
There are cases where hagwons helped the students get higher scores. However, this often brings other side-effects like: stress, sleep deprivation, and rebellious thoughts. There are very rare cases where the student is willing to study on his or her own and goes to a good college. For the students who don’t have the natural ability to study on their own get help from hagwons to ‘nurture’ their studying ability. Even the first graders, who seem very far away from college go to hagwons to prepare to go to a good college. The case with the fifth grader is an example of sending students to too many hagwons. She would go straight to her hagwon after school and come back home at ten in the night ([Child Confess] Hagwon, tutor stress). She goes to six hagwons and still is being pressured by her mom to go to more hagwons, because there is a classmate who goes to eight hagwons ([Child Confess] Hagwon, tutor stress). Even on Sundays, she doesn’t have time to play, since two tutors are coming ([Child Confess] Hagwon, tutor stress). In fact, the tutoring helped her to improve in English and Korean ([Child Confess] Hagwon, tutor stress). However, her life would seem miserable since she lost the privilege to play outside from such an early age. So is it always true that hagwon+misery= good college? Not necessarily.
There are students who didn’t go to hagwons and still succeeded in going to good colleges. An example can be Na Young Kim who went to Seoul University by getting a scholarship. Na Young came out on a quiz show called Golden Bell. The purpose of the program is to eliminate students with incorrect answers until one student is left, and reward a scholarship to the last one left. Na Young Kim was the last one to remain and got a scholarship to go to Seoul University. In her interview, she said how poor her family was, so she couldn't go to hagwons. She always envied her classmates who went to hagwons, but since her family was very poor, she had to study by herself. She studied on her own and went to Seoul University, one of the top three universities in Seoul, debunking the idea that hagwon is a ‘must’ to go to a good college.
Another example why hagwons are not helpful is in the cases that students fail to go to a good college even though much money is spent on their private education. For example, a family living in Kangbook moved to Bundang to give their child a better private education (Private Education Increased). The parents of the student sent their child to multiple hagwons, and provided their son expensive tutors (Private Education Increased). However, the result was disappointing. Their son didn’t even go to a university in Seoul, but a university in the rural area (Private Education Increased). This case proves that hagwon does not contribute that much in going to a good college, but bring a bad effect on the child by giving him too much stress.
So is a hagwon a ‘must’ attend a good college? Not necessarily. It varies on the type of the individual: some might get help from going to hagwons, but some might not. Thus, it is a bad idea to force students that doesn’t get any help from hagwons to force them to go to hagwons, because it is becoming a trend in Korean society. Parents send their children in hope for them to go to a good college and succeed. However, giving their children too much stress can lead to suicide or retaliation. Parents should think about what their child wants to become, and communicate with them rather than sending them to hagwons to follow the trend. Now is the time for Korea to improve the public education systems to eliminate the need of private education.
Works Cited
"[Child Confess] Hagwon, tutor stress." Korea Student Daily. 3 Sep. 2009 <http://kids.hankooki.com/lpage/world/200804/kd2008043016031489690.htm>.
"HAFS." HAFS University Matriculation. 17 Sep. 2009 <http://www.hafs.hs.kr/board/boardDetail.asp?MenuID=82&categoryCode=44&PostID=22298>.
"Hagwon paparazzi boom! Fraud hagwons don't move? :: Naver news." Naver News. 19 Oct. 2009 <http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=102&oid=038&aid=0002018473>.
"Private Education Increased." Chosun.com. 3 Sep. 2009 <http://bemil.chosun.com/nbrd/bbs/view.html?b_bbs_id=10038&num=46650>.
"[Student Corner] Solution Needed for Student Suicide." The Korea Times. 3 Sep. 2009 <www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2009/08/181_30122.html>.
Introduction to Genre 2
: PlayGenre two is written in play format, so it is easier for the readers to follow what the whole idea of my project is. Also the play is written in a dialogue form, so it is less formal than the first genre. The second genre can revive the readers worn out from the stiff, first genre. Every scene in the play serves an important role in answering my question. Scene one is an introduction to the life of an ordinary student. This scene makes the readers stand in the shoes of the student, further engaging the reader to my topic. Scene two is about the dream the student has. In this scene, the readers can understand the stress and pressure given to the student. Scene three is about how the student succeeds in going to a good university without going to hagwons. The third scene is the direct result of my answer to the main question.
Brave New Betty
Act1 Characters
Student
Student’s mom
Act 1 Scene 1
Setting: Student wearing a school uniform goes to hagwons after her school is over.
Student: I’m just out of school, and I can’t even play with my friends. (Hands up high and shouting) Why is my life so miserable! I don’t want to go to hagwons like this! It’s too much for me to bare.....
The student enters the door of her hagwon, looking depressed (repeat it 5 times, becoming more and more tired as she comes out of the hagwon). Student returns home.
Student: (very tired voice, takes off shoes) Mom, I’m home.
Mom: (Holding up an apple that she’s paring) Do you want some apple dear?
Student: No thanks, I want to sleep.
Mom: (slightly annoyed tone) How can you think about sleeping this early? It’s only 12:00 A.M.! Go to your room and finish your hagwon homework!
Student: Arggg but I just returned from my math hagwon!
Mom: (sarcastically) Then are you not going to do your homework, when I’m paying so much for your hagwons?
Student: Fine (sigh). I’ll go do my homework....
Act 1 Scene 2
The student leaves the scene and goes to her room. She does her homework until 3:00 A.M.
Student: (yawning) I finally finished my homework! (setting alarm clock to 6:00 A.M.) I should sleep now.
Act 1 Scene 3
It is 8:00 A.M. and the student is in her school. However, she is not paying attention and is sleeping.
Student: (In a drowsy voice) I’m so tired.
Teacher: Okay class, today is the day you’ve all been waiting for. You get your grades back for the finals!
At the sound of the teacher, the student jerks her head up and the teacher passes out the grades.
Student: (Depressed and annoyed voice) Oh my god! How can I get such a low grade! Ahhh, I failed this final. What am I going to say to my mom.
Act 1 Scene 4
After school, the student walks home and opens the door to her house
Mom: (anxious and hyper voice) Honey~ I heard your grades came out today~
Student; (voice trembling) Umm.... Mom, don't be depressed, but I did a little bad on my finals.
Mom: (angry) What?! Show me the transcript right now! (Taking the transcript from student's hand, trembles her hand) How can you get such a low grade! How can you be second place in the whole grade? You should be the first after all the hagwons I'm sending you! Who is this student that came in first place? I shall talk to your home room teacher right now! This cannot be!
Student:(drops her head down) I'm sorry mom, I'll improve my grade next semester. Don't be so angry.
Mom; How can I be calm? I should send you to more hagwons. I think you need to focus more on math
Student: But I'm already going to 3 math hagwons!
Mom: So did your grades improve? No! You should get an intesive course on math. You said you were learning algebra, right?
Student; Yes....
Mom: Then you should learn calculus to be better than the other students! I'll call the hagwon right now and apply you to a math intensive course.
Student: (sighs)
Student and Mom exits
Act 1 Scene 5
Student is leaving her house and walking on the side walk, complaining.
Student: Ah, why do I have to go to so many hagwons! I can never fulfill my mom’s requirement. She’s expecting too much from me! I’m so stressed out and sleep deprived. My mom should admit that I’m getting bad grades because I’m sleeping in school because of hagwons! (Sighs) I’d better go to my new hagwon before I’m late.
Student exits.
Act 2 characters
Student
Scientist
Director
Teacher
Act 2
Act2 Scene 1
The student is sleeping in her class at school. The following is her dream. The student is lying down in her dream and awakens by the sound of machines.
Student: (Wakes up from the ground, surprised and drowzy voice) Ow, my head hurts. Anyways, where is this place? (Looking around) It’s full of machines and scientists. I should ask one of them where I am. (Approaching a scientist) Excuse me sir, but where is this place?
Scientist: (cold and annoyed voice) Please do not disrupt me. I have to continue my experiment
Student: Oh, sorry. (Looking around) I guess people aren’t so nice here. Anyways, what experiment is he talking about?
Director: (approaching student from behind) Who are you? I’ve never seen you before!
Student: Hi, I think I should go home, but I don’t know where I am. Where is this place?
Director: Home? What are you talking about? You must be the one that escaped from hagwon! I shall take you to your class. What is your serial number? (Looks at a tag on the student) So you are an alpha! I’ll take you to your class.
Student: (confused look) I realize this was on my chest!
Director drags the student out of the room
Act 2 scene 2
Director drags the student into a white room with rows of desks, which students are sitting on. Beside their desks, there are huge stacks of paper.
Director: I found a student lost in the hallway. (annoyed voice) Do take care of her.
Teacher: (angry voice) Where have you been?! Return to your seat
Student:(confused look) But... I...
Teacher: No buts! Sit down and solve the problems given to you!
Student: What the ... (looks at the problem on her desk) What is this? I can’t even understand what this is saying! (looks around the room) Everyone is solving the problems so fast!
Teacher: (holding a stop watch) Stop! (everyone puts their pencils down at the same time) Twenty-seconds have already passed. You guys should have had plenty of time to work on the hundred pages of math problems. Now I’ll give you twenty-seconds to solve your English problems.
Student: (holding up her hand) But I don’t even know what this problem is asking.
Teacher: (gasping and looking shocked) You should be sent to more intensives! (the teacher’s face suddenly turns into the mom’s face) Hahahaha you should go to more hagwons! I’ll get you more tutors. More homework! More studying!
Stage darkens
Act 3 Characters
Mom
Student
Teacher (Mr.English)
Classmate
Act 3 scene 1
The student wakes up from her dream
Student: (pops up from her chair) No!
Teacher: (angry tone) Did you just sleep in my class?
Everyone: Good afternoon Betty! (laughs)
Student: Sorry Mr. English. I am tired from my hagwon last night. I slept very late.
Teacher: Just sit down.
Act 3 scene 2
The student is walking down the road to her hagwon
Student: I can’t waste my life like this! I have things I want to do too! (turns around) I should confront my mom today!
Act 3 scene 3
The student opens the door to her house
Student: Mom, I have to talk to you.
Mom: Betty! Shouldn’t you be at your hagwon? Why did you come so early?
Student: Mom, I decided not to go to hagwons. My grades are fine, and I can prove to you that hagwons are not the only thing that decides what college I am going to.
Mom: Do you want to ruin your life? What are you talking about?
Student: I don’t want to waste my life just going to hagwons! It was all about hagwons my entire life! I always sleep at 3 A.M. and so sleepy that I always sleep in school. I don’t listen to what the school teacher is saying so I don’t get good grades. It’s not that I don’t go to many hagwons that I don’t get a good grade. Please mom, trust me for once!
Mom: I’m tired now. I don’t want to argue with you. It’s not my life so do whatever you want!
Mom stomps out of the stage and the student is left alone, looking depressed
Act 3 Scene 4
Four years later, Betty is accepted to Seoul University
Student: (holding up the letter from Seoul University) Mom, mom! I got into Seoul University!
Mom: (gasps and cries a little) I’m so proud of you! It was a good choice I didn’t send you to any hagwons from that day on.
Student: (holds her mom’s hand) Thanks mom, for trusting me. I told you I’ll show you how I can go to a good college without hagwons!
THE END
Introduction to Genre 3
: NewspaperGenre number three is a news paper. The name of the newspaper is Senior Weekly, mostly focused on the Juniors and Seniors. A newspaper might appear as a boring genre, but this is a student-run newspaper, which makes it easier to read. Similar to the phoenix plume, it includes advertisements and school events to make it a more interesting paper. There is a section where a survey is conducted. The survey is a conjecture on what the results might be, but the comments made on the results of the survey is from my friends from elementary school, using an alias. Genre three answers the main question by providing a simulated survey based on the comments of students going to public schools. The whole paper shows a negative view towards going to hagwons, by the repeating emphasis on the side-effects of hagwons.
Epilogue
Since my topic was mainly focused on students going to public schools, it wasn't easy finding people to interview. However, my topic was very valuable since it made me look back on my academic courier and how blessed I am to go to an international school. I already had some background knowledge of the 'hagwon culture' through news reports and my elementary school friends. This helped me in laying the basic ideas for the project, but it hindered me into seeing the benefits of hagwons. Even if I had background knowledge, I learned a lot more from this project: the rumors that I have been hearing was real and the report on increasing private education fees was not so far away. After learning the harsh studying conditions that most students in public schools were in, I changed my perspective towards them and hagwons. Before researching about the side-effects of hagwons, i just thought hagwons were bad and didn't have a specific reason. Now that I explored the side-effects of hagwons thoroughly, I know the reason why parents are sending their children to hagwons and why hagwons are not necessary to go to a good college.From my project, I wish others will learn the harsh nature of hagwons. However, I do not wish this project to become a trauma, so that hagwons are only portrayed as evil to the readers. Hagwons do have benefits, but I saw more drawback than the benefits. I was also a little bit worried because my classmates might gain a sterotype on public schools and think international schools are superior to Korean public schools. I didn't want anybody to think that way, since both sides have pros and cons of their own, which led me to limit my topic to hagwons. I hope that everyone gains a better knowledge of the 'hagwon culture' after reading over my project.